AvaStar Rising Falling: Dec. 21 Launch for SL's "First" Tabloid

by Walker Spaight

So sedate and august a publication is the Second Life Herald that we'd normally take no notice of the smutty mutterings of the salacious classes -- but this is just too much. Attentive readers will recall the recent accouncement that German publishing company Axel Springer would launch what the Guardian idiotically called Second Life's "first tabloid." Now it's here -- well, almost. It launches December 21 as The AvaStar, and will be available not only on the Web but "through street vendors [and] self-service boxes" in-world as well, according to a press release. Which actually is great. Where competition is concerned, the Herald's official stance has always been, "Bring it on, biyatch." But this "first" business has just got to stop. A promised correction from the Guardian has not yet materialized, so it's clear that stronger measures will need to be taken. (One Song, are you reading this?)

There's also the issue of the AvaStar's slogan: "Your World, Your Voice." Who's going to be writing this thing, anyway? Will it be just another Web site about Second Life, similar to the BLingsider? The press release promises 30 pages a week of News, Business, Celebrity & Gossip, Style & Fashion, Travel and Entertainment, plus a weekly guide. (Are these paper pages or Web pages?) One of the most amusing aspects of this whole thing was the headhunter who tried to recruit me to write for the AvaStar. The email I received included these questions: "Could you please send me a short example of article about SL? What is your focus / experience / passion about Second Life?" If you can't answer these for yourself, Monty, you have no business at all launching a tabloid in Second Life. I ain't FIC for nothing, you publicitard.

According to the Guardian, the paper was to cost L$10-L$15 or so. But the press release prices it at L$150 a week -- a price I'm betting few residents are going to be willing to pay, especially not when they can get much better news for free from the Herald, which was -- wait for it -- the first tabloid in Second Life. (Ooh, did I just say that? The "first"? Yes, I did.) The release is also aimed at advertisers, offering discounts for early adopters and touting the audience as young and educated professionals. Could it be that Springer's having second thoughts about the financial viability of their virtual outing?

One thing is clear: Springer is pretty much legally blind when it comes to market research and the landscape of competition in the virtual world. While the press release no longer claims "first tabloid" status, it contains an even bigger boner: "The AvaStar is the first mass medium in 'Second Life' to be produced with a professional background." I guess my decade-plus as a professional journalist doesn't count. And that Reuters dude too. Not mass enough, really. Not professional enough a background. Yeah...

Comments

[Tateru Nino]

"Who's going to be writing this thing, anyway?"

Well, they asked me three times, if that helps any.

[Bob the Tomato]

So... is the Herald going to take out an advertisment in the AvaStar?

Bob

[Bob the Tomato]

... and having just clicked on the URL, it's a shame there's no contact information or anything else except a "coming soon" graphic... so quite how you are supposed to submit material, express an interest in advertising, or anything?

Bob

[Barney Boomslang]

Well, the publishing house behind the avastar - Axel Springer - is know for it's really bad journalism especially in their biggest seller, the "Bild" paper. So I am quite happy to notice that up to now none of those inworld journalists I like to read have joined them. That guarantees us the worst of all possible journalism, since they might be forced to actually write their stuff themselves :-)

But it shows that they talk about being the first tabloid and then the first professionally done inworld news source - and the only idea on how to get the thing started is to ask journalists of allready existing news sources (which they deliberately ignored in their "announcement" as existing prior) to write for them ... how professionall and how innovative ...

[Bob the Tomato]

A search of their website shows zero results for "Second Life". Evidently this is a real big important thing to them.

Oh well. Something else to not spend my money on in SL I guess.

Bob

[Plastic Fan]

I predict this to be a success. Clearly there are those who would rather read real tabloid news, than the mile long rantings of your chief wind bag prokofy.

Seriously Uri, shit can prokofy before she brings down your whole publication

[Urizenus]

They recruited Prok too!

[marilyn murphy]

uhmm...how much money do they offer?

just wondering.

[Urizenus]

haha, I wonder if they are going to have post six girls/boys/bots.

[Prokofy Neva]

Walker, I was recruited by the same head-hunter in Germany. I said sorry, until you undo that "first" crap I ain't talking.

Then when I went to the press conference for Mia Farrow (cancelled due to the RL fire), two Axel operatives surrounded me, IMing me and friending me. I told them they better fix that first stuff or it's war. They claimed that they were not the ones to put the "first" in their claims, that it was the Guardian. (Oh, dear, this is developing into one of those he-said/she-said "black avatars first" sorts of things).

When they claimed that they could hardly influence the Guardian's copy, I urged them to put out a retraction (I mean, what does it cost to do *another* press release?)

I was then treated to a lecture about how competition is *good* for the Herald. Sure! Gives us lots more material to satirize.

Eventually, I said that even though the Herald is paid peanuts in Linden dollars, we are like the mujahedeen, we are indigenous rebels fighting for our homeland and it will be impossible to defeat us : )

[Walker Spaight]

I apparently won a correction in the print edition of the Guardian, and the promise (restated as of today) of a correction to the Web article, but that hasn't materialized yet. Only a matter of time before we win, though. Muahahahahaaaa....

[Urizenus]

It's true that Avastar will give us something to satirize. I mean how much mileage can you get out of making fun of Just a Thought? Indeed, we are so low on targets that if Avastar didn't exist, we would have to invent it. ;-)

[Inigo Chamerberlin]

Uh, are you sure you DIDN'T Uri? :-)

[Prettyboy]

Haha, I can answer some of the questions.

I was also contacted by some of those people, apparently saw my "picture" in other SL related blogs.
They basically pick up Sl residents "off the street" and offering some position.

That was 2 weeks before the expected launch.(The date was postponed several times already.)

I get to talk to one of the "writer", who does not even know how to save a snapshot in the pc's disk, while she was conducting the interview...

You already pointed out about lack of research, and I totally agree with that as well.

They were planning to have "special order/exclusive outfits" for the staff members, however, they thought 5 days were enough to find SL designers to order full perm special ordered items.

They have no clue how the SL outfits were prepared, how the vehicles are made...

The most hilarious thing is that they thought our avatar's fingers can push the shutter of the camera with animation. (omg lol)

The consulting company who is supposed to advise those things to AvaStar team, did not care to learn how much effort does it take to find animator/scriptor who will make the animations in SL.

Their logo looks amateurish, which I learned that it was prepared by "graphic designer"... well if you look at it... you don't need a graphic designer to make that logo.

And now, it is 5 days till kick off.
How do they supposed to make a full brown website ?
At this point, they should have contact info, subscription terms, subscription order form and contact for advertisement in website.

This website is supposed to provide full article to the subscribers. IN 5 DAYS!

The press release mention 2 million residents, however anyone with common sense knows that the number 2 mil does mean a thing in SL.

They are contradicting themselves to the T.

Few AvaStar staff member expressed that this is not for profit endevor.
How do you explain the 150L?

"It is a pilot project, an experiment of virtual journalism by RL publishing company."

"This is a serious endevor, We are all professional journalist, we provide quality information for 150L. Its only 50cents."

Well, sista, I pay 3$US for coffee in RL, does not mean that I will pay 750L$ for SL coffee....

[Petey]

The AvaStar approached me about using some pix from the SLS.

I told them to credit you guys as the first tabloid.

--Petey

[Hunter Glass]

Its all about the advertising. They have an established list of ad clients that are hearing about Second Life in the press and this is a product that they can present to them. When I read the horrible "F" word I was really put off and I thought to myself "Walker's gonna have a party with this!" Indeed you did Walker, good comments!

[Urizenus]

Yes, I'm sure the advertisers have been locked down for some time. The problem for the advertisers will be that since there is currently no way to audit the distribution of the rag they won't really know if they are catching any eyeballs. In the abstract this is always a problem of course -- newspapers do get caught lying about their circulation numbers -- but at least you can see people reading the paper on the subway. Since it isn't online we have no third party web analytic tools and we can't even watch the trucks leave the printers.

[Prettyboy]

Ok, They have the websites.

I check the "streetvendor" in world, and where are those places anyways.

Do they know about the "traffic"?

Anyways, I was really amused to find that they are offering this paper for amazing 100% discount - "FREE".

In addtion to that, you may download their past full articles for free, from their websites.

And what about their "Promotion Tours"?
In search in world, there are no events for the kick off events on 12/21 at all. They apparently opened the sim, however I did not see any promotion events were going on.

Neither, classified ad could be found.

OOh, I know, all the staff members from AvaStar are less than 3 months old in SL. (Let's jump on the SL band wagons!")

They mey not know how to use event calenders, how useful the search/find to the residents.
The most of their SL profile is totally blank, that indicates their level of SL activities to say the least.

The saddest of them all, none of the staff member entered their "Profile picks", for their sim/AvaStar, nor luanching of the paper...

So how do they expect to reach "2 million of us"?

[Tenshi Vielle]

I had a run-in with these idiots. You can find entire transcript, even where they say Reuters is not PROFESSIONAL, here: http://www.wickedgoodonline.com/wickedblog/

[Urizenus]

OMG Tenshi, that shit is priceless! Can we reprint the transcript here (with attribution and link of course). "Ava-tards", rotflmfao!

[Pierre]

//M: What do you think of another tabloid for SL?
Aimee Weber: Another? I guess there is the SL Herald, but that’s a blog, as I understand it. Issue #1 of the AvaStar is a really fun read. I think people are going to love it.

//M: What about The Metaverse Messenger?
Aimee Weber: That’s not really a tabloid, more of a regular newspaper. I think the AvaStar is filling a niche that hasn’t existed in SL before. People are going to love it.

//M: The SLH is controversial, yes, but undermining?
Aimee Weber: Pretty much, yeah. They don’t really have anything good to say about SL. They celebrate griefers. If there is any story about SL numbers, or anything like that, SL Herald is always there to provide a negative take on it.

http://metaver.se/2006/12/22/aimee-weber-and-the-avastar-corporate-love/

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[Regis Braathens]

I stumbled across this old page while searching through hundreds of AvaStar related blog posts. It made me laugh reading back over it - it's so nice to look at the criticism at the beginning, and to look at the situation now, where The AvaStar is THE paper for Second Life, it's a brand people love, it's written by the residents, and it's getting bigger by the day. Just proves RL companies can get it right in virtual worlds sometimes!